Expression mechanism for self-playing musical instruments.



No. 850,303. PATBNTED A PR.16, 1907.

- J. J. BBALY. EXPRESSION MECHANISM FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY15,1905. v

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ig A fluvaufoz wiimaomo E 1 wwm'm' PATENTBD APR, 16, 1907.

J. J. HEALY. EXPRESSION'MEGHANISM FGR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

- APPLIOATIOH FILED HAY 15.1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 M w m M PATENTED APR. 16

J". J. HEALY, EXPRESSION MECHANISM FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15,1905.

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atto'awetg UNITE srArns PATENT orruon JOHN J. HEALY, OF COHOOTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO SOLOMON F. HESS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

EXPRESSION MECHANISM FOR SELF- PLAYlNG MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed May 15,1905. Serial No. 260,402

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. HEALY, of Co hocton, in the county of Steuben and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Expression Mechanism for Self-Playing Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon; v

My present invention relates to pneumatic .allyoperated musical instruments and to those devices employed in connection therewith for producing pianissimo and forte effects; and it has for its object to provide suitable mechanism to be employed in connec tion with a string-dampers and, if desired, the hammerrail or otherv attachments, whereby these parts may be controlled by perforations in the music-sheet or independently thereof, at the will of the operator, whenever it is desired to subdue or accent certain notes in a musical composition.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel. features being pointed out in the claims at .the end of the specification.

of Fig. 2. devlces employed for operating the hammer- In. the drawings, Figure 1. is a diagrammatic view illustrating the devices embodying my invention and portions of a pianoforte to which they are connected. 1 Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, showing the arrangement of the pneumatic operating devices of the instrument. Fig. a longitudinal sectional view of the division-imam, showing the various bellows inounted thereon. Fig. 4 is a detail view ofo'ne end of the division-board. Fig. 5 is asectional view thereof, taken on the line of Fig. 2.

o 0 Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6 6 Fig. 7 1s a detail view showing the rail.

Similar reference-numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

As my invention is ada' ted to be applied particularly to an uprig t piano, .l have shown certain parts thereof which may be of the usual or any preferred construction.

pianoforte for operating the 1 indicates the usual frame carrying strings 2, with which cooperate the hammers 3, adapted to be operated by any for'm of action, as will-be understood, the only portions thereof to which. it is necessary to refer specifically being the hammer-rail 4L and the damper-lever 5, both of which are suppm'tcd on the action-framed The key or digital 7 is mounted in the usual manner upon the bed 8, so that its inner end when operated. upwardly will raise the jack 9 to cause the hammer 3 to strike its string, while its outer end is arranged over the breast or forwardly-pro jccting portion 1.0. in the well-known ,manner, the hammer-fall 4 being provided at its ends with arms 11, which are pivoted to the frame 6, enabling it to be adjusted relatively to the strings by means of a lifting-rod 16, operated by the soft pedal.

The damper-levers 5, pivoted on the frame out of engagement with their strings to pcrmit the latter to vibrate without check.

The following description, which will be confined to the devices for taking tho-place ofthe loud pedal, may also be applied in lieu /of the soft pedal, although by the arrangement of the parts I employ for o' crating the keys low tones may be produce by modifying the force with which they are operated, and the mechanism for operating the ham-, mer-rail may be omitted.

The tracker-board 23 comprises a plurality of passages 24, which are controlled by perforations in a music-shcct 25 as the latter is unwound from the spool 26 onto the reel 27. Each of these passages leads beneath a diaphragm 28, upon which rests the head 29 of a primary valve 30, said head being normally in the position shown in .lfig. 1 opening communication between the primary valve-chest 31. and a passage 32, leading beneath. a pull or diaphragi'n 33, which operates its respective secondary valve 34. This secondary valw comprises a head 2-15, which normally disconnects the secondarywind-chest 36 from the exhaust-passage 37 and opens the latter through a port 38 to allow the free entrance These parts all operate bellows 82 and the other parts operating therewith may be employed, if desired.

Forte expression or pianissimo etl'ect may be produced by perforations in the musicsheet which control passages 111, similar to the passage 24- in the tracker-board, the opening if which causes the operation of the power-bellows 77 or 77*, as will'be further describe-i. The passage 111 terminates beneath a muff or diaphragm 112, supporting a primary valve 113, having heads 114i and 115, adapted to alternately release and control the entrance of air into a passage 116, terminating beneath the putt 110 of the valve, 198, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The primary valve 113 is normally in a position shown in Fig. 1, closing the passage 116 against the entrance of air under atmospheric pressure and connecting it with the valvechest 31, and when the passage 111 18 opened by a perforation in the music-sheet the primary valve is raised, as shown in dotted lines, to flush the passage 116 and cause the secondary valve 108 to be raised to close the aperture in the chamber 100, connecting that chamber with the exhaust chamber 105. With the secondary valve in the operated position the air contained in the bellows 77 passes through the aperture 96, passage 94, aperture 98, chamber 100, aperture 107, chamber 105, aperture 99, passage 95, issuing through the aperture 97 mto the auxiliary main bellows 82, allowing the latter to move outwardly under the influence of the springs 85. At the beginning of the outward movement of the auxiliary main bellows the stop 93 is carried out of engagement with the lever 91, when the spring 92 operating thereon immediately closes the valve 90 over the aperture 89.

In order to enable an operator to vary the forte efl'ect irrespective of the music-sheet, I extend a passage 117 from the primary valvepull 112 to a convenient point in thejlront rail 118 of the key-bed, which is controlled by a manuallyoperated valve 119 on pivoted arm 120, located in an aperture formed in said rail, and adapted to be operated by a small button. 121, which the operator may press with one of lns lingers. It a duplication of the supplemental pumping-be lows,

the auxiliary main bellows, and the powerbellows 77 is employed for operating the hammm rail 4, they will be controlled by primary and secondary valves similar to the valves 1 l3 and 108, and their manual operation may be effected by the opening and closing of the valve-head 122, operated by a button 123, arranged in the rail in proximity to the valve 1 19 and controlling air in a branch passage 124, leading to its respective primary valve, as will be understood.

The devices which I have described may be used in addition to any desired form or arrangem t of the feeder and main bellows tortes for producing other ellects.

Various changes in the (.levices l have descrlbed may be suggested to those skilled in the art. For instance, the supplemental feeder-bellows maybe omitted and the auxiliary main bellows exhausted by the main feeder-bellows. I embody the spirit of my invention, 1 do not limit it to the precise form I have shown.

I claim as my invention 1.' in a pneuniatically-opcrated musical instrument, the combination with an action embodying string-dampers and keys, keypneumatics and devices for operating said dampers, power-p11eumatic connected to the latter, separate exhaust-bellows for operatin g the pneumatics and valves for control ling them, of separate feeder-bellows for the exhaust-bellows, a valved passage connecting the latter, means for operating the feeder and means for controlling the operation of the valves.

2. In a pneumatically-operated musical instrument, the combination with an action embodying string-dampers and keys, keypneumatics, operating devices for the dampers and a power-bellowsfor actuating them, of separate reservoirs for operatin the keypneumatics and. power-bellows, leeder-bellows exhaustingsaid reservoirs and a passage connecting said reservoirs, a valve controlling it and means for governing the oper- 'ation of the key-pneumatics and power-bellows.

3. In a pneumalically-operated musical instrument, the combination with an action embodying keys, pneumatic devices for operating them and feeder and main bellows for operating the lwy-pneumatics, of means for operating a part of the instrument independent of the keys, 0. bellows for actuating said independent part and a separate feeder and main bellows for said actuating-bellows and means for sinmltaneously operating the two feeder-bellows, a passage connecting the two main bellows, a valve controlling said passage and means for operating it.

4. In a pneumaticall: -operated musica instrrunent, the combination with an action embodying keys, pneumatic devices for operating them and feeder and main bellows for operating the key-pncumatics, of means for operating a part of the instrument independent of the keys, a bellows for actuating said inde )endent part and a separate feeder and auxiliary main bellows for said actuatingbellows, means for simultaneously operating the two feeder-bellows, a passage connecting As such an alterationwould' 

